What would a kitchen aid mixer do which a cheaper one wouldn't?

[GalaxyInMyPants]

Apart from look nicer?

I currently do all my cakes by hand. I can't even be bothered to get my hand mixer out the drawer apart from for egg whites.

Would a proper stand mixer change my life or would it be another unused gadget? And would a £100 one with good reviews be adequate?

I have the Andrew James one you've linked to too. Really good for bread but I use it for cakes/ meringues etc too. Can't fault it!

The Andrew James one does seem to get really mixed reviews. People either love it or say that the paddle doesn't get into the bowl enough to mix everything. Some people have had snapped dough hooks.

The paddle without the rubber rim doesn't. But they updated it a year or two ago so now there is a flexible rubber edge to it and it does the job for me.

I make very thick, stiff dough and it hasn't snapped yet! But if it did I'm sure they would replace it, it has a 2 year warranty.

Great. Will order it.

Good timing for gbbo!

Brioche dough - you need a strong motor to withstand the length of time needed to properly make the dough

Bagel dough - this dough is like rubber tyres, and a strong motor is needed to knead it

Plus their are great attachments which you can get for the KA which are not available on the cheap models.

The othe thing that KA has is very good servicing if you ever need it (I have not, but it is reassuring to know that should anything go wrong, I can call KA)

I don't like brioches or bagels so I'm ok there.

Haven't ordered the cheap one yet. Am going into town today so will have a last stroke of the KAs in Lakeland. Then come home and order the cheap one!

I have the pistachio KA, was a gift. It is that rare beast. - a lovely and useful thing.

I also had a 1970s Kenwood Chef for years. Differences? The KC started leaking blue fluid into cake mixes, it felt plasticky in comparison, and no, I didn't want it on the worktop.

Galaxy - it really doesn't feel cheap. It's lovely and solid, looks nice, and has several clever little features. I think you'll be pleased.

The kitchen aid is an investment.
We buy these things on the premise that we won't need to replace them.
If they do go wrong, they can be repaired and parts can be replaced, whereas other brands may disappear.
Instead of spending £100 on an inferior mixer, which you do not love- think of that as £100 towards your kitchen aid.

God, I am so bloody indecisive. Its a mixer, not a house.

ROFL. You're right, it's a mixer. Buy whatever! It's not life and death.

I have a kenwood kmix , I did a lot of research and the kmix came out better than the KA quite often , it's much quieter but has a bigger motor .I notice on the new sweets programme they are using a kmix , GBBO uses a KA though.

I have a KA and also a Andrew James food processor both do what I need them to. Recently I bought the pasta roller attachment for the KA and now making my own pasta is a breeze

Jacky I bought the Andrew James because I quite simple can't afford a KA and my old mixer died on me. It could be a few years before I can afford a KA and I'm quite happy with my Andrew James 'inferior' mixer for the time being.

Last forever. Mine is 14 years old, I think, and still going strong. Use it all the time.